Kay Scarpetta has arranged to meet an inmate at the high-security Georgia Prison for Women. The prisoner is a convicted sex offender and the mother of a vicious and diabolically brilliant killer. Against advice, Scarpetta is determined to hear this woman out — she believes she may hold some answers to the murder of her former deputy. But soon she finds connections to a string of grisly killings, including the slaughter of a Savannah family years earlier. She can see a pattern to these killings, but who is behind them and why? As she learns more, Scarpetta is compelled to conclude that this is only the beginning of something far more destructive: a terrifying terrain of conspiracy and potential terrorism on an international scale. And she is the only one who can stop it...

1913, Paris. Coco Chanel present at the first, the presentation of Igor Stravinsky's «rite of Spring». Rhythmic dissonance in music and sometimes shocking choreography cause a storm of indignation. But Koko carries how Igor stirred up the hall. Seven years later, Koko and Igor meet again. Between the designer and composer quickly arise mutual sympathy and affection. Koko invites Igor together with his wife and children to live on her Villa near Paris. In the summer between Koko and Igor start a secret relationship. Their increasing intimacy and benefit their work: Igor starts to compose works in the new, more free-style; and Koko together with his perfumer Ernest Bo creates Chanel no 5.

In this landmark work of investigative reporting, former Financial Times correspondent Alexandra Harney uncovers a story of immense significance to us all: how China's factory economy gains a competitive edge by selling out its workers, environment, and future. Harney's firsthand reporting brings us face-to-face with a world in which intense pricing pressure from Western companies combines with ubiquitous corruption and a lack of transparency to exact a staggering toll in human misery and envionmental damage. This eye-opening expose offers, for the first time, an intimate look at the defining business story of our time.

«The President of the United States is heading to London, but not to an entirely warm welcome. A fanatical mullah is offering a blessing to anyone who will assassinate the President. Urgently, Sean Dillon, General Charles Ferguson, and the rest of the small band known as the «Prime Minister's private army» are called in, augmented by an extraordinary new recruit, an intelligence captain and Afghan war hero named Sara Gideon.»

On the ocean liner Mauretania, two European scientists with a dramatic new invention are barely rescued from abduction by the Van Dorn Detective Agency's intrepid chief investigator, Isaac Bell. Unfortunately, they are not so lucky the second time. The thugs attack again-and this time one of the scientists dies. What are they holding that is so precious? Only something that will revolutionize business and popular culture-and perhaps something more. For war clouds are looming, and a ruthless espionage agent has spotted a priceless opportunity to give the Germans an edge. It is up to Isaac Bell to figure out who he is, what he is up to, and stop him. But he may already be too late... and the future of the world may just hang in the balance.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is Mohsin Hamids thrillingly provocative international bestseller. It is shortlisted for the Man Booker prize in 2007. Now a major film directed by Mira Nair and starring Kate Hudson and Kiefer Sutherland. Excuse me, sir, but may I be of assistance? Ah, I see I have alarmed you. Do not be frightened by my beard. I am a lover of America... So speaks the mysterious stranger at a Lahore cafe as dusk settles. Invited to join him for tea, you learn his name and what led this speaker of immaculate English to seek you out. For he is more worldy than you might expect; better travelled and better educated. He knows the West better than you do. And as he tells you his story, of how he embraced the Western dream — and a Western woman — and how both betrayed him, so the night darkens. Then the true reason for your meeting becomes abundantly clear... Challenging, mysterious and thrillingly tense, Mohsin Hamids masterly The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a vital read teeming with questions and ideas about some of the most pressing issues of todays globalised, fractured world. Masterful... A multi-layered and thoroughly gripping book, which works as a poignant love story, a powerful dissection of how US imperialist machinations have turned so many people against the worlds superpower — and as a thriller that subtly ratchets up the nerve-jangling tension towards an explosive ending. (Metro). Beautifully written... more exciting than any thriller Ive read for a long time. (Philip Pullman). A brilliant book. (Kiran Desai). Admirably spare and amazingly exciting. (Rachel Cooke, New Statesman). Mohsin Hamid is the author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Moth Smoke and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. His fiction has been translated into over 30 languages, received numerous awards, and been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. He has contributed essays and short stories to publications such as the Guardian, The New York Times, Financial Times, Granta, and Paris Review. Born and mostly raised in Lahore, he spent part of his childhood in California, studied at Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and has since lived between Lahore, London, and New York.

An Authoritative, historically informed tribute to the punch bowl, by the James Beard Award-winning author of Imbibe! Acclaimed cocktail expert and historian David Wondrich takes readers on a raucous guided tour of all things punch-a tour that starts with some very lonely British sailors and swells to include a cast of lords and ladies, admirals, kings, presidents, poets, pirates, novelists, spies, and other inimitable characters. And of course, authentic recipes appear throughout, with notes for the modern punch-maker. It is a tale only Wondrich can tell-and it is sure to delight, inform, and inspire the mixologist in everyone who reads it, from veteran drink connoisseurs to absolute beginners.

Combining detailed description with perceptive psychological insight, the stories collected in this volume showcase Tolstoy's brilliance as well as his immense influence on modern literature. Includes OThe Death of Ivan Ilych, O OFamily Happiness, O OMaster and Man, O and OThe Kreutzer Sonata.O Revised reissue.

Nudge is about choicesahow we make them and how we can make better ones. Authors Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein offer a new perspective on preventing the countless mistakes we makea including ill-advised personal investments, consumption of unhealthy foods, neglect of our natural resources, and other bad decisions. Citing decades of cutting-edge behavioral science research, they demonstrate that sensible achoice architectureacan successfully nudge people towards the best decisions without restricting their freedom of choice. S straightforward, informative, and entertaining, this is a must-read for anyone with interest in our individual and collective well-being.

Thought-provoking and charming. Library Journal Not all Great Masters of Wisdom are venerable graybeards. One is as familiar to us as that beloved teddy bear Winnie the Pooh. From the how of Pooh to the Tao of Pooh is a simple, effortless, joyous step... a delicious journey to Pooh Corner illuminated by the timeless teachings of the Taoist immortals.

Lentils, free love and radical politics... the wonderfully funny fourth novel from Britain's bestselling comic novelist, about family life gone differently than anticipated by Doro and Marcus and their now grown up kids.

Why are English train seats so narrow? It's all the Romans' fault. The first Victorian trains were built to the same width as horse-drawn wagons; and they were designed to fit the ruts left in the roads by Roman chariots. This intriguing and witty book explains how our national characteristics — our sense of humour, our hobbies, our favourite foods and our behaviour with the opposite sex — are all defined by our nation's extraordinary geography, geology, climate and weather. You will learn how we would be as freezing cold as Siberia without the Gulf Stream; why we drive on the left-hand side of the road; why the Midlands became the home of the British curry. It identifies the materials that make England, too: the faint pink Aberdeen granite of kerbstones; that precise English mix of air temperature, smell and light that hits you the moment you touch down at Heathrow.

Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end, because once you get there, you can move mountains. To Steve Jobs, Simplicity wasn't just a design principle. It was a religion and a weapon. The obsession with Simplicity is what separates Apple from other technology companies. It's what helped Apple recover from near death in 1997 to become the most valuable company on Earth in 2011, and guides the way Apple is organized, how it designs products, and how it connects with customers. It's by crushing the forces of Complexity that the company remains on its stellar trajectory. As creative director, Ken Segall played a key role in Apple's resurrection, helping to create such critical campaigns as 'Think Different' and naming the iMac. Insanely Simple is his insider's view of Jobs' world. It reveals the ten elements of Simplicity that have driven Apple's success — which you can use to propel your own organisation. Reading Insanely Simple, you'll be a fly on the wall inside a conference room with Steve Jobs, and on the receiving end of his midnight phone calls. You'll understand how his obsession with Simplicity helped Apple perform better and faster.

Reading Brodsky's essays is like a conversation with an immensely erudite, hugely entertaining and witty (and often very funny) interlocutor. This collection of forty-eight short pieces on Venice showcase Joseph Brodsky at his very best: witty, intelligent, moving and elegant. Looking at every aspect of Venice, from its waterways, streets and architecture to its food, politics and people, Brodsky captures the magnificence and beauty of the city, and recalls his own memories of the place he called home for many winters, as he remembers friends, lovers and enemies he has encountered. Watermark is an unforgettable piece of writing, and a wonderful portrait of a remarkable, unique city. This title is winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

«Jane Green's «The Accidental Husband» is a powerful story about two women connected by an earth-shattering secret. Maggie and Sylvie are perfect strangers: two very different women, living very different lives on opposite coasts. But they share more in common than they could ever imagine. Both women have beautiful children on the verge of flying the nest, the home they worked hard to build and always longed for, and a handsome and devoted husband they can't believe belongs to them. Both women think their lives are seamlessly secure, but they couldn't be more wrong...For each is about to discover a secret that will shake their world to the very core, throwing into doubt everything they ever thought they knew, and bringing Maggie and Sylvie together in the most unexpected way. Praise for Jane Green: «A heartbreaking tale of love and family, truly compelling». («Closer»). «Compulsively readable. I raced through it». («Daily Mail»). «Green is women's fiction royalty ...a compelling family drama». («Glamour»). Jane Green's internationally best-selling novels, including «The Other Woman», «Jemima J.» , «Babyville», «Girl Friday» (published as Dune Road in the USA), «Life Swap» («Swapping Lives»), «Spellbound» («To Have and to Hold»), «The Beach House», «Second Chance», «Straight Talking», «Mr. Maybe», «Bookends», «The Love Verb» and «The Patchwork Marriage» («Another Piece of My Heart») are incredibly moving and extremely relatable. «The Accidental Husband» is Jane's fourteenth novel. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and their blended family of six children.»

Utterly compelling, moving and very funny, The Mystery of Mercy Close is unlike and novel your have ever read and Helen Walsh is the perfect heroine for our times.

Expresses an infectious sense of wonder at the uniqueness of our species; it is hard not to be affected by his enthusiasm. What explains the staggering diversity of cultures in the world? Why are there so many languages, even within small areas? Why do we rejoice in rituals and wrap ourselves in flags? In Wired for Culture Mark Pagel, the world's leading expert on human development, reveals how our facility for culture is the key to what makes us who we are. Shedding light on everything from art, morality and affection to jealousy, self-interest and prejudice, Pagel shows that we developed culture — cooperating together and passing on knowledge — in order to survive. Our minds are hardwired for culture, and it still determines how we speak, who we love, why we kill and what we think today. Human evolution may be the hottest area in popular science writing. Within this field, Wired for Culture stands out for both its sweeping erudition and its accessibility... richly rewarding . Impressive for its detail, accuracy and vivacity. Pioneering, vivid... the best popular science book on culture so far.

It's vampire politics as usual around the town of Bon Temps, but never before have they hit so close to Sookie's heart... Growing up with telepathic abilities, Sookie Stackhouse realized early on there were things she'd rather not know. And now that she's an adult, she also realizes that some things she knows about, she'd rather not see — like Eric Northman feeding off another woman. A younger one. There's a thing or two she'd like to say about that, but she has to keep quiet — Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town. It's the worst possible time for a human body to show up in Eric's front yard — especially the body of the woman whose blood he just drank. Now, it's up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl's fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who's set out to make Sookie's world come crashing down.

It was just another after-work happy-hour bar downtown, where business professionals unwound with a few drinks...until something went terribly wrong. And after twelve minutes of chaos and violence, eighty people lay dead. Lieutenant Eve Dallas is trying to sort out the inexplicable events. Surviving witnesses talk about seeing things — monsters and swarms of bees. They describe sudden, overwhelming feelings of fear and rage and paranoia. When forensics gives its report, the mass delusions make more sense: It appears the bar patrons were exposed to a cocktail of chemicals and illegal drugs that could drive anyone to temporary insanity — if not kill them outright. But that doesn't explain who would unleash such horror — or why. And if Eve can't figure it out fast, it could happen again, anytime, anywhere. Because it's airborne.

Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the approval of his father, so resolves to win the local kite-fighting tournament and prove that he has the makings of a man. His loyal friend Hassan promises to help him — for he always helps Amir. But this is 1970s Afghanistan and Hassan is merely a low-caste servant who is jeered at in the street, although Amir feels jealous of his natural courage and the place he holds in his father's heart. Neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan on the afternoonof the tournament, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return, to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.